Saturday, November 30, 2019

Inventory System free essay sample

Abstract The purpose of this study is to apply a MySQL database-equipped inventory system to a sample cellphone retail store where it would manage the store’s product inventory and improve the physical-writing of daily/monthly inventory reports for them to examine. It will be a process integration where we will install a computer system to help them generate an inventory report that they’ll just have to input certain data and the system would provide them of a formatted document. We haven’t actually produced any results yet since we are starting to process the system’s requirements and interface of a cellphone store and thus, this section of the abstract would be improve until the important data for this report is already obtained. II. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the help of our Software Engineering course professor, Mr. Rolando Fajardo, for motivating us to strive hard and gave us the necessary sample materials to complete and further understand the completion of this documentation of our project. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventory System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We would also like to acknowledge the help and support that we got from our fellow colleagues here at Far Eastern University – Makati for the guidance and certain help they gave us while conducting and making this documentation III. Dedication We dedicate this documentation for all our batch mates and our fellow Information Technology students here at Far Eastern University – Makati as this documentation may inspire them to strive hard and further improve their skills as the future’s next leading programmers, designers and all other types of workers in the field of Information Technology. Introduction While it is somehow proven that physically-written reports are mostly fool-proof evidence of a legitimate or official document in certain businesses, it really takes too much time and effort for people to actually write these kinds of reports for their business. With a generation that mostly relies on technology nowadays, we do not consider anymore this kind of process of making it and now depending on computer to make one for us with just simply placing data in a certain program that would generate a well-designed report to be examined by people. Background of the Study In our technology-dependent generation right now, it is easy to say that written documents are already out of style right now since some computer applications or software are now integrated to analyse, formulate and produce documents that are well-formatted and well-designed by these programs. Our MySQL database-equipped cellphone inventory system would integrate the usual paper-recording of product inventory in certain store in which, we will apply this for a cellphone inventory store that usually updates their inventory for their stock availability, products sold and stock left in their store. We will integrate their system of updating it through a software inventory system that’s powered by a MySQL database to ease the burden of writing/recording and making an inventory report for daily or monthly sales report for their store. Research Paradigm Input Process Output New Product/Item (Details) Adding of New Item in Inventory (w/ Details) Report that a new item was added New Stock for Products Updating Inventory for new stock (Stock column) Report that stock column has been updated with new stock quantity Edit details of product Editing Inventory for details of a product Report that product details has been edited Delete product from Inventory Removal of Item/Product from Inventory Report that product has been removed from inventory Daily Sales Data Processing of store’s transactions Written/Formatted Report of Daily Sales Monthly Sales Data Processing of store’s transactions (w/in the whole month) Written/Formatted Report of store’s Monthly Sales Statement of the Problem The focus of this study is whether an inventory system equipped with a MySQL database would work for a cellphone store storing, updating, and deleting their products and its details for easy-completion of their store inventory. Significance of the Study We are motivated to pursue this study because of the application of an inventory system equipped with MySQL database for a cellphone store to integrate their store’s inventory system and to ease the paperwork usually needed to record the all of the products that go to their inventory Scope and Delimitation The scope of this study covers the adding, updating/editing, removing and other necessary tasks that a cellphone retail store does for their inventory management. This system integrates the written documents that were usually used before in writing an inventory report of their products and additional details that is necessary for it. The delimitation of this system is that it only covers the basic inventory process that these stores need for their inventory management. Additional features would be optional since our system would only be focusing on the main inventory process of the business. Added features are expected not to work efficiently or perfectly as of this moment since we are just integrating the basic functions of their inventory process. Definition of Terms Inventory an itemized list of current assets: as a catalogue of the property of an individual or estate or a list of goods on hand Inventory Management is vitally important for any business that sells a physical product. Cellular phone/Cellphone portable phone: a portable telephone operated through a cellular radio network Database collection of data on computer: a systematically arranged collection of computer data, structured so that it can be automatically retrieved or manipulated MySQL MySQL is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) based on Structured Query Language (SQL). VI. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES Foreign Literature(both should be from 2009-2014) Foreign Studies Local Literature Local Studies VII. Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Specification of Research Design Respondents of the Study Research Instrument Data-Gathering Procedure/Source of Data VIII. Chapter 4 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of FindingsConclusionsRecommendations Further for Further Studies BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES Letter of Request for Permission to Conduct Survey Questionnaire Curriculum Vitae USER’s MANUAL ( separate document) Inventory System free essay sample A perpetual inventory tracking system is a method of immediately accounting for inventory sales in the inventory account, if there is no theft or spoilage. It is an inventory management system where store balances of inventory are recorded after every transaction. It eliminates the need for the store to close down constantly for inventory stock-taking as perpetual inventory systems allow for continuous stock-taking. Perpetual inventory systems keep a running account of the companys inventory. Perpetual inventory systems involve more record-keeping than periodic inventory systems. Every inventory item is kept on a separate ledger. These inventory ledgers contain information on cost of goods sold, purchases, and inventory on hand. Perpetual inventory management systems allow for a high degree of control of the companys inventory by management. Perpetual inventory management is generally used by companies who have the ability to scan the inventory items sold and who use  point-of-sale inventory systems. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventory System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Perpetual inventory systems provide the business owner with a record of what is sold, where it was sold from, when it was sold, and for what price it was sold. As a result, it allows for businesses to have more than one location with one centralized inventory management system. Even with a perpetual inventory management system, the company still needs to shut down at least annually to do a periodic, or manual, inventory count. The scanned data should tell the business owner exactly what inventory should be on hand. The major advantage of doing a periodic inventory count is to determine how much inventory has been lost, stolen, or subject to spoilage. What is a Periodic Inventory System? A periodic inventory system does not require day-to-day tracking of physical inventory. Purchases, cost of goods sold, and inventory on hand cannot be tracked until the end of the accounting time period when a physical inventory is performed and ending inventory is compared against the sum of beginning inventory and purchases. Cost of ending inventory can be calculated by using the  LIFO or FIFO inventory accounting methods, or other less common methods. Inventory System free essay sample Technology in todays modern society is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. Almost every thing that surrounds us is all about technology. The need of technology is affecting almost every area of society, including companys businesses. In today’s business environment, even small and mid-sized businesses have come to rely on sales and inventory systems. Advanced system on sales provide more reliable recording of sales of the company. Sales and inventory makes the company more productive, efficient and convenient to the company and its clients. This sales and inventory system is meant to help the company to show to their customers that they are inline with the use of technology for its demand is extremely high. By providing more reliable recording of sales of the company, hoping to increase their sales and most to increase the profit of the company. Using the computerized way of inventory is much more superior and far quicker than using the manual system. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventory System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Indeed, implementing sales and inventory system on a company is a big help because it lessen the work load of the employees and minimize the factor of human error. Inventory systems are use in many different companies today as a tool to make sure the company strives into success. Inventory systems serve several different functions for businesses; one purpose is promoting the sales function by ensuring that a sufficient amount of product is available for customers. Another purpose is shrinkage control, that is monitoring the frequency of loss, theft, or breakage of products received. Another very important function of inventory control systems is asset valuation; that is establishing the value of the products on the shelf for tax purposes at the end of the tax year. According to the Small Business Administration, all inventory systems strive to strike a balance between managing costs and the business advantages of a broad selection of goods to offer to customers. 1. 2Research Objectives 1. 2. 1 General Objectives The main purpose of this research is to develop a useful sales and inventory system for one of the franchise of Waffle Time. A system that has the capability to encode the different lists of products. To add, edit and delete. To add a new list in the existing list. To edit the current list. And to delete a list that do not exist anymore. We also aim to keep track the sales and inventory products. The sold products are deducted from the stored items in the inventory system. The sale must be the totality of the products purchased of the customer in the sales system. 1. 2. 2 Specific Objectives To design a user-friendly interface that can easily be familiarized by the user. To produce appropriate reports of the sales. To produce appropriate reports of the inventory. To develop a Sale and Inventory System for the Waffle Time business that will give solutions to the inconvenience caused of using the manual system. Scope and Limitation of the Research This research aims to create sales and inventory system that provides user efficient working environment and to provide more reliable and appropriate sales and inventory of the business. This system covers only the sales and inventory of the Waffle Time business franchise USLS branch (not sure if we can this branch). This system provides user-friendly interface resulting for each of the employee knows each and every usability features of the system. This system also helps in tracking records of the business.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Business Ethics Fleming

Business Ethics Fleming The customer is the most important stakeholder of any company. Companies exist to serve the needs of their customers. Therefore, it is vital for a company to ensure that it does not damage its relationship with the customers. Disregarding the wishes of customers would result in the collapse of a company (Thompson, et al. 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Business Ethics: Fleming specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is what happened to Fleming Companies, which was the largest distributor of consumer-packaged goods in the US. The company habitually provided wrong billing to its customers. The company did not stop the malpractice despite regular complaints from customers. Fleming habitually engaged in accounting malpractice to boost its margin and restore its financial profitability. Senior executives of the company supported the company’s engagement in unethical conduct. As an executive of the company duri ng that period when it engaged in unethical conduct, I would have claimed that problems in the accounting systems were the major reasons why the company provided wrong billing to its customers. I would have claimed that the company was not defrauding its customers since it was willing to repay money that it owed customers due to wrong billing. Fleming used its muscle unfairly to engage in unethical activities. The company realized that it was a vital component in the supply chain of its customers. It was the major link between the suppliers and their customers. Therefore, damaging the relationship between the company and the suppliers would have limited the ability of the suppliers to access their customers. Fleming jeopardized the activities of its suppliers by engaging in unethical conduct. Fleming’s malpractices limited the ability of its suppliers to keep accurate financial records. Keeping accurate financial records enables companies to know their real financial position (Nikolai, Bazley Jones, 2009). As a manufacturer who sold its products through Fleming during the period when the company was engaging in unethical conduct, I would have looked for another distributor to handle my products. This was the main reason why Fleming engaged in unethical activities regularly.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the company was unwilling to stop engaging in unethical activities despite complaints from customers. By doing so, Fleming disregarded the wishes of its customers. Fleming’s unethical conduct made it difficult for manufacturers to determine the integrity of Fleming’s billings. The unethical conduct necessitated suppliers to countercheck billings from Fleming. This was an expensive and time-consuming activity. Therefore, looking for an alternative distributor was the best option for manufacturers who distrib uted their products through Fleming. As a Fleming shareholder during the period when the company engaged in unethical conduct, I would not have been pleased with the turnaround strategy that the company was employing. This is due to the fact that the strategy breached the trust that customers had on the company. Fleming disregarded the fact that customer loyalty was the main factor that led to the prosperity of the company. The unethical behavior of the company tarnished the image and reputation of the company (Thomson, et al., 2011). Therefore, I would have sold my shares before the discovery of this unethical practice. Discovery of the unethical practice threatened the existence of the company. Loss of the trust that customers had on the company would have resulted in massive exodus of customers from the company. Unfortunately, this is what happened after the Wall Street Journal reported the company’s unethical conduct. Therefore, selling my shares before this happend would enable me to safeguard my investment. Unethical practice led to the ultimate collapse of the Fleming companies. This is despite having acquired more than 100 new customers. Fleming’s case highlights the importance of customer loyalty in the competitiveness of a company. A company should not take advantage of its size to violate the wishes of its customers. References Nikolai, L. A., Bazley, J.D. Jones, J.P. (2009). Intermediate accounting. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Business Ethics: Fleming specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thompson, A., Peteraf, M., Strickland, A. J. Gamble, J. (2011). Crafting executing strategy: Concepts and readings. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Machiavellian Analysis of Henry IV, Part 1

Analysing Henry IV part 1 as described in the Machiavellian analysis It can be difficult for the modern reader to appreciate the power struggle underlying HENRY IV, Part 1 (1H4). As causes of the War of the Roses and the struggles of the House of Lancaster recede from memory, it is useful to have a lens through which to examine the political and military machinations of Henry, Harry and Hotspur as they struggle to define both the future of England and their personal claims to leadership. The Prince provides such a lens. Written in 1513, just 83 years before the play, Machiavellis tract on foreign policy and leadership provides a deeper understanding of the actions of these three characters. As the play opens, Westmorland informs Henry IV that he has received a post from Wales that is loaden with heavy news, Whose worst was that the noble Mortimer, Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight Against the irregular and wild Glendower, Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken, A thousand of his people butcherÃÆ'Â ¨d, Upon whose dead corpse there was such misuse, Such beastly shameless transformation By those Welshwomen done, as may not be Without much shame retold or spoken of (1H4 1.1.37-46). This missive was followed by even more uneven and unwelcome news that Percy has followed his uncles teaching and to his own use he keeps all the prisoners except the Earl of Fife (1H4 1.1.70-75). In this way, Henrys enemies are introduced and Hotspurs loyalty called into question. The first step in applying a Machiavellian analysis to this situation is to determine whether the struggle pertains to a hereditary principate or a mixed principality. Given that the Welsh and Scottish forces remain distinct and separate groups over which the English retain limited control, one is inclined to characterize this as a mixed principality, an entity that is not entirely new but like a graft freshly joined to an old kingdom (Machiavelli 5). Following this analysis, the loyalties of the combatants appear conflicted at best because the problems associated with such a state are derived from a natural difficulty which is that all men are ready to change masters in the hope of bettering themselves (Machiavelli 5). As the play opens, Hotspur and Worcester appear as exemplars of combatants who are struggling to change masters. Their loyalty to Henry conflicts with their loyalty to the Percy family. Under these circumstances, Machiavelli advises one of the best and most effective policies would be for the new possessor to go there and live (Machiavelli 6). While Henry remains firmly ensconced on the throne in London, both Hotspur and Harry venture forth in the world and engage in interactions that could conceivably achieve the benefit that Machiavelli says results from such relocation namely when you are on the spot, you can see troubles getting started and can take care of them right away (Machiavelli 7). Hotspur takes Worcesters advice to return to Scotland with the prisoners and Deliver them up without their ransom straight (1H4 1.3.257). Moreover, while he is in Scotland, he should enter negotiations and make the Douglas son your only mean / for powers in Scotland, which / will be easily granted (1H4 1.3.258-261). While not exactly the same as going and living there, these travels could serve much the same purpose as that imagined by Machiavelli in that they provide first-hand information. Unfortunately, Hotspurs temperament prevents him from making the most of such travels. Although the reader is not witness to Hotspurs negotiations with Douglas, the negotiations with Owen Glendower show that Hotspur is incapable of going and living there either literally or in the more metaphorical sense of being able to silence his own impulses long enough to learn first-hand Glendowers strengths as an ally. Instead of taking the opportunity to get a sense of the Welsh terrain and size up Glendower, Hotspur senselessly antagonizes him, insulting everything from his ability to speak English (1H4 3.1.114-117), his history of repelling Henry IV (1H4 3.1.65-67) and his magical powers (1H4 3.1.24-34). Curiously, although Harry neither relocates nor travels the distances traversed by Hotspur, his behavior seems to achieve more of the ends sought by the Machiavellian advice to go there and live there. We see him traveling a different kind of distance from the seat of power and playing an altogether different role with his companions at the Boars Head Tavern. Although only a temporary inhabitant of Eastcheap (1H4 39), his ability to step outside his customary role and observe life outside the palace makes him a more effective ruler in the long run. This is consistent with the Machiavellian adage that prince devote attention to learning because what he learns will be doubly useful; first he will become acquainted with his own land, and understand better how to defend it (Machiavelli 41). A Machiavellian analysis also sheds light upon the behavior of Henry, Harry and Hotspur during the Battle of Shrewsbury. Hotspurs allies betray him and leave him on the battlefield with little support. He continues to voice enthusiasm for battle despite Douglas characterization of the loss of Glendowers support as the worst tidings that I hear of yet (1H4 4.1.126). However, as he prepares for battle, Hotspur begins to vacillate. When Blount comes with gracious offers from the King (1H4 4.3.30), Hotspur explodes with his list of grievances against the king. However, at the end of this scene, he raises the possibility of accepting the kings offer, saying And maybe so we shall (4.3.112). Such vacillation opens him to the contempt and hatred warned against by Machiavelli who noted that what makes a prince contemptible is being considered changeable He should be sure that his judgment once passed is irrevocable (Machiavelli 50). In this time of crisis, Hotspur has not been able to win a popular base or exercise consistent judgment; had he survived, this vacillation (and his lack of reasoned responses) would hold him up to contempt and hatred. In holding out this opportunity for peace, Henry appreciates the Machiavellian maxim that military might is the poorest way to retain or win a mixed principality. Machiavelli notes that the whole state is harmed when the prince drags his army about with him from place to place. Everyone feels the inconveniences, every man becomes an enemy (Machiavelli 7). Blount tries to dissuade Hotspur, saying, you conjure from the breast of civil peace / such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land / audacious cruelty (1H4 4.3.43-45) and promises that you shall have your desires with interest / and pardon absolute for yourself (1H4 4.3.49-50). Henrys unexpected offer at reconciliation shows he understands that in the long run, defense by armies is useless with respect to mixed principalities (Machiavelli 7). While Hotspur and Henry weigh strategies and prospects for war, Harry goes into battle. His crisp, decisive actions are consistent with Machiavellis description of the military duties of the prince (Machiavelli 40). His victory over Hotspur shows that despite his questionable behavior earlier in the play, he has not fallen prey to the risk that being defenseless makes you contemptible (Machiavelli 41) or charges of mismanaging his clemency (Machiavelli 45). The Prince, therefore, provides an effective lens through which view the actions of Henry, Hotspur and Harry. Beginning with the characterization of the border skirmishes as a mixed principality, the relative strengths and weaknesses of these characters can be evaluated in Machiavellian terms. Only Harry appears to have metaphorically heeded the advice to go and live there. Despite his initial military successes, Hotspurs failure to heed this advice leaves him stranded without sufficient support at Shrewsbury. While Henry has the support of characters he spent time slumming with, Hotspur has shown himself to be worthy of hatred and contempt. In conclusion, The Prince provides a penetrating analytic tool to analyze the behavior of these characters, particularly with regard to their actions in Shrewsbury and its ultimate outcome.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project - Essay Example After then, Net Present Value (NPV) for the whole project is computed. Financial and non-financial risks factors are discussed while highlight the issues that may hinder the overall progress and benefits attached with this project. Recommendation is the last part of this report in which the discussion is provided which focuses on the acceptance or rejection of this project. 1. Present Value of Cost of Project The cost of building a new facility in the form of electricity generator is compromised on two years cost. The cost of first year is $25 million whereas the cost for the second year is $28 million. If the time value of money factor is set aside, the total cost of building such generator is $53 million. After discounting this cost with the cost of capital of 8%, the present value is found to be $50.93. The following is the supporting calculations used to compute the present value of building up the generator. Years Cost of Generator    Discount Factor (8%)    Discounted Value of Cost    Present Value of Cost 0 -25 x 1.0000 = -25.00 = -50.93 1 -28 x 0.9259 = -25.93       2. Present Value of After-tax Cash Flows It is expected that after-tax profits earned by selling the electricity would continue over a period of 9 years once the generator facility is built. By leaving out the factor of time value of money, the total profits earned in the form of cash flows from the generator amounts to $75 million. However, if cash flows pertaining to each year are discounted by the cost of capital of 8%, it decreases the value of $75 million a lot such that the present value is summed up to barely $47.16 million. The following is the comprehensive computation, which is used for calculating the present value of sales of electricity. Years After-tax Profits    Discount Factor (8%)    Discounted Cash Flows    Present Value of Cash Flows 2 6 x 0.8573 = 5.14 = 47.16 3 7 x 0.7938 = 5.56    4 8 x 0.7350 = 5.88    5 9 x 0.6806 = 6.13    6 9 x 0.6302 = 5.67    7 9 x 0.5835 = 5.25    8 9 x 0.5403 = 4.86    9 9 x 0.5002 = 4.50    10 9 x 0.4632 = 4.17       3. Net Present Value Net present value computed for the overall project is computed as negative $3.76. Net present value states the amount, which depicts whether the project provides the excess of cash inflows over the cost of building the generator facility after considering the element of time value of money. Following are the detailed computations for calculating the NPV of the project under consideration: Years Cost of Generator After-tax cash flows Discount Factor (8%) Discounted Cash Flows NPV 0 -25 1.0000 -25.00 -3.76 1 -28 0.9259 -25.93    2 6 0.8573 5.14    3 7 0.7938 5.56    4 8 0.7350 5.88    5 9 0.6806 6.13    6 9 0.6302 5.67    7 9 0.5835 5.25    8 9 0.5403 4.86    9 9 0.5002 4.50    10    9 0.4632 4.17    4. Risks The project of building up a new generator facility, which is expected to work for the next ten years bring several risk factors . These factors can be split into two major categories namely as financial and non-financial factors. Financial risk factors are given below followed by the non-financial factors. Financial Factors a) Cost of Capital One of the most important risk factors associated with such financial projections is the estimating the most appropriate cost of capital, which is used as discount factor to discount the cash flows and initial investment in order to compute the present values. It is extremely subjective to estimate the cost of capit

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Cell phone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cell phone - Assignment Example In this light, deciding not to buy the cell phones for children has its advantages and disadvantages. Also, deciding to buy cellphones for the students has disadvantages and advantages that ought to be considered. Those against the idea of cells for students argue that they are disruptive and affect their concentration. On my part, I support the idea of equipping the students with the cell phones. There are several reasons for this stand that cannot be overlooked. For instance, the cell phones provide an easy channel of communication between parents and their children. In this light, the gadgets help ensure that parents can check on their children when they are not around. Secondly, I believe that the use of cellphones among the children from an early age helps open up their minds and increases the chance of innovation and the invention of technological gadgets. Moreover, the cell phones provide a source of leisure for the students and are crucial for their growth and development. However, this point may be invalidated on the basis that cell phones cause disruption among the pupils. Another point in support of cellphones for school-going children is that they help the students to research and learn new things through the Internet. The case study explains the effects that the cell phones have on students in Uganda who area allowed to use the cells not only at home but also in school. In the research conducted by Richard and his subordinates, the school allows students to carry their phones to school. According to the study, the availability of cellphones is a source of security for the students, which in turn helps boost their classroom confidence (Twebaze and Richard 23). Moreover, the students involved in the case study argued that keeping close contact with their parents at home helped give them the motivation to work hard. Richard adds that â€Å"cell phones not only allow the students to talk to their parents but also gives them a chance to expand

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Sector Matrix Essay Example for Free

Sector Matrix Essay In buyer-driven commodity chains retailers, branded manufacturers and branded marketers which usually operate in labor-intensive consumer goods industries (e.g. footwear, toys, and consumer electronics) play key parts in setting up decentralised production networks in a variety of exporting countries. In producer-driven commodity chains, however, large manufacturers usually operating in capital and technology-intensive industries (e.g. automobiles, aircraft, and computers) play pivotal roles in managing production networks, usually in developed countries. Global Commodity Chains overlooks important concepts known as demand substitution and supply interaction, which occur in the motoring sector when lower income consumers rather purchase more affordable second hand automobiles from car dealerships than new automobiles from manufacturers e. g. when second-hand cars dilute the automobile market. Competition is thereby oversimplified by Gereffi’s framework as a process that takes place within an industry of firms using similar technologies to produce competing products. Furthermore, complementary goods e.g. spares and parts, repairs and servicing, fuel, tax and insurance, and finance generates a high percentage of revenue in the motoring sectors. Thus to maintain competitiveness within a sector, managers need to be familiar with the concept of demand complementarity. Gereffi, similarly to Porter, overlook the strategic importance of complementary goods, envisaging the processes that bring a commodity to the final product market. The sector matrix analysis mentioned by Froud (2006) fills these limitations; it constructs the demand side in terms of complementary and competing demands made by end users, and the supply side in terms of corporate consolidation of surplus from different activities inside and outside a specific demand matrix. Taking into account the weaknesses of Porter and Gereffi’sframework, Froud argues a need to abandon product-specific analysis for an alternative way of thinking, arguing that the firm should be seen as a unit t hat consolidates financial surplus from diverse sources of profit inside and outside an activity matrix. Rather than constructing the demand side in terms of substitutable end-products (e.g. new cars versus new cars), the Sector Matrix approach captures demand complementarity (e.g. new cars + services) and demand substitution (e.g. new cars versus used cars). Therefore, thesector matrix approach gives a better understanding of the automobile product market than the concepts of Value  Chains and Global Commodity Chains in that it captures the strategic importance of complementary services, simultaneously redefining competition. Solely manufacturing cars is financially unrewarding due to the problems associated with saturation in the automobile markets e.g. fierce competition due to competitor ability to manage product development and technology processing. For example, Ford understood that in order to continue to achieve superior shareholder returns they must sharpen consumer focus, that why their vision is to be the world leading consumer company that provides automotive products and services not just the world leading automotive company.Under this downstream vertical integration strategy, Ford purchased UK-based car-servicing company Kwik-Fit, broadening their subsidiary portfolio; already consisting of car rental company Hertz, and fi nancial services company Ford Credit. Furthermore, the Sector Matrix approach does not confine competition to the group of firms producing similar products; it extends the business relation to all the other firms that aspire to positions in the matrix. So, redefining competition may be a necessary exercise in order to effectively analyse the product market. Albeit useful, the applicability of Sector Matrix can be debated amongst academics, however. Froudrecognise that many industries (e.g. trainers and shirts) cannot be reworked as sectorsdue to their simple infrastructure. Other more complex industries e.g. health care are difficult to visualise in a sector matrix diagram due to vague demand function. Hence, while the Sector Matrix approach works well in the case of automobile industry, the universalism the framework is debatable.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Roaring Twenties Essay -- America 1920s

The Roaring Twenties Rarely has the world seen such a unique decade in time as the Roaring Twenties. It was an age of prosperity and change. The United States experienced a recession that was followed by a period of unlimited prosperity. Although the United States encountered both positive and negative experiences, it proved to be very influential in the future. The 1920's were definitely "Roaring" in more ways than one. There were major changes in American Society during the 1920's that took place. Many new industries emerged during this decade that influenced society and the American way of life. Even the federal government had different feelings about the business industry. The characteristics of this decade made the 1920's one never to be forgotten in America because of its influence. During the 1920's a dramatic change occurred in American Society. American people experienced a period in their life that would not only affect the economy but even their own personal lives. African Americans had little to celebrate in this period except for the cultural movements such as Harlem Renaissance, which they introduced themselves. The 1920's were a period that reached both blacks and whites and forced everyone to pay attention. Racial incidents still took place throughout the United States before the 1920's. In 1920 the women?s suffrage was finally achieved with the nineteenth amendment. This was also a change because it left the women's movement confused and uncertain about its goals and its future strategies. Prohibition played a key role in the Roaring Twenties and the early years of the depression. It was the sale or manufacture of illegal alcohol. To prohibit the sale of illegal alcohol was an attempt to us... ...nist who put on many shows. He proved to be very influential and was a hero to American people. Lindbergh flew a single engine airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 30 minutes. Communications Industry also emerged throughout the Roaring Twenties. World War I influenced the commercial industry. The Radio was the main influence during the 1920?s. It was an Italian invention used during World War I. The radio was found in almost every American home for entertainment. The President broadcasted his in inaugural speech for the first time on the radio. The Radio allowed the American people to listen to political speeches. This was also an advantage for baseball fans. Baseball fans could listen to a live broadcast of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Overall the Radio was a huge influence in the 1920?s and is still now very important.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Comparing and Contrasting Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart

Melisa Chan English Language and Literature Instructor Van Andel ————————————————- February 1, 2013 Viewing Africa From Two Sides Of A Coin. There aren’t many novels about the true face of Africa on bookshelves, especially not novels written by an author who knows Africa best during the time of its pre-colonial period. Things Fall Apart is a novel worth reading because it’s eye opener for those with not-very-positive stereotypes of the continent. In fact, it has been said that Things Fall Apart was written as a response to another novel, The Heart of Darkness.This is because in the latter novel, Africa was viewed in a darker light compared to the former novel. Thus, it’s natural that there will be differences and similarities between the two novels. However, assuming that Things Fall Apart being written as a response to The Heart of Darkness is a fact; there will be more differences than similarities among the two novels, especially in terms of its author, point of view, and the perception of the novel towards Africa and how the Africans treated in the novels. One of the aspects in which the two novels have more differences than similarities is the author.In terms of the author, The Heart of Darkness was written by Joseph Conrad, a non-African. He wrote the novel in Europe in 1902. This was during the Victorian Era under the rule of Queen Victoria. Apparently, in Europe, the African continent was viewed as a dark continent. This is perhaps due to the fact that it was compared to Europe itself where everything is civilized and familiar to them whereas Africa was a place of mystery and the unknown. On the other hand, Things Fall Apart was written by Chinua Achebe, an African who wrote this novel much later than Joseph Conrad, which was back in 1958.This novel was written in Africa but published in England, unlike The Heart of Darkne ss which was written and published in the same continent. In addition, it was written during the pre-colonial period before they gained independence. Unlike Joseph Conrad who was a foreigner to Africa, Chinua Achebe knew his country as well as he knew himself, thus, he gave Africa and its people more life and made their personalities and culture equally as significant and vibrant as those around the world. Furthermore, there weren’t any use of comparison of the continent to other continents.The comparisons used in Things Fall Apart were normal comparisons between individuals and local villages. Another aspect in which we can compare and contrast the two novels is the point of view in which they were written. The Heart of Darkness was written in the first-person point of view, through Marlow’s eyes. A rather unique style of writing that Conrad used for The Heart of Darkness was that the novel was written as a double story with a first-person narration within a first-per son narration.The frame-narrator is used to describe Marlow’s narration of his own story while the other first-person narrator is Marlow himself, depicting his adventure in the Congo. Unlike a typical first-person style, Marlow’s first-person narration is directed not towards the reader but to the men on the boat on the Thames. The frame-narrator on the other hand is narrating for the reader, the outer audience. It seemed like Conrad was reading aloud Marlow’s travel log. Things Fall Apart on the other hand was written in the third-person point of view.Instead of writing through the eyes of an African, the story of Things Fall Apart was written through the author’s eyes, as if he’s writing his observations of Okonkwo and the Igbo people. Things Fall Apart was written just like a typical story book which contained small interrelated stories, especially in the first part of the book. It was written in a way that depicted a progressive day-to-day basi s of the people of Okonkwo’s family and his village. Besides that, the perception and treatment of Africa and its inhabitants are very different between the two novels.In The Heart of Darkness, the Africans were depicted as â€Å"â€Å"savage† Africans† (â€Å"excerpt†: motifs and themes). They were treated like animals and slaves. In fact, the African slaves were described as soulless, as if they were empty shells used to work for the Europeans, â€Å"†¦ They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete deathlike indifference of unhappy savages. † Even the Congo River was depicted as winding, dark and treacherous, compared to the Thames River which was depicted as a place of light, clear and unclouded.In Things Fall Apart, however, Africa and its people were depicted as full of vigor and life. The people of Umuofia were hardworking people who worked on their farms with passion and purpose. They also have a sense of pride and honor. For example, the people of Umuofia will only attack another village only if it was by the order of the Oracle or they will be punished. This can be proven by an extract from the novel: â€Å"†¦never went to war unless its case was clear and just and was accepted as such by its Oracle†¦the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage a war.If the clan had disobeyed the Oracle, they would have been beaten†¦never fight†¦a fight of blame† (12). Even the environment seemed to be alive. There were changes in weather, farming and harvesting seasons and even the season where the locusts came. When comparing and contrasting these two novels, a few similarities can be identified. First of all, they are similar in the way that they were written about Africa in the author’s respective perspectives. They neither relied on external sources nor let them influence their writing style and context of their writing.Another similarity is that they both showed effect s of the colonization of the Europeans on the local community though they were introduced at different times in each novel. Colonization effects include loss of the African culture and principles and also a change in lifestyle of the local community. The hierarchy of the local community was also disturbed. In both novels, Africans who were supposed to be highly regarded were degraded to mere followers or slaves. The similarities identified are somewhat superficial similarities because despite having similar aspects, at a closer look, these similarities also express differences.In conclusion, there are more differences than similarities between these two novels. This is perhaps as expected because these two novels were written by two different people of different nationalities, backgrounds and perspectives. Furthermore, they were written in two different time periods. We cannot and should not judge which of these two novels is better. We should see these two novels as equals in terms of information sources because by reading, understanding and comparing these two novels, we get a better understanding of Africa from both sides of a coin.Thus, our perspective and knowledge of Africa is now broader and based on this, we can see Africa in a different light. Whether we see it in a better or worse light is entirely up to us to decide. However, at the very least, we have established the arguments about Africa to aid our judgment. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New Delhi: Allied Publishers, 2010. Excerpt from Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness. Date of access: 31 January 2013. Comparing and Contrasting the Novel, Heart of Darkness. † 123HelpMe. com. 23 Feb 2013 . â€Å"Ibo Religion in Things Fall Apart†. Religion-Culture-and-Stories. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3. 0 License. Date of access: 30 January 2013. â€Å"The Art of Narration in Heart of Darkness†. Introduction to Heart of Darkness. D ate of access: 23 February 2013. < http://home. roadrunner. com/~jhartzog/heartofdarknessintro. html>

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Diva Momma Gives A Fierce Performance

Beyondg's vocal ability and potential, she proved them wrong to do so, when she performed at the Super bowl half- time show with approximately about 12 minutes of booty-shaking, body grinding, hair-tossing and GIRL POWER! They were definitely wrong to say so, as not a single yawn was let out. No one peeped out a word during it as everyone was completely entranced by Honey Bee's cabinetmaking performance. Everyone at the edge of their seats wondering what song she will sing next.And every single time, she didn't disappoint her fans, not one bit. In fact, she got them even more excited, got them screaming and shouting her lyrics back at her throughout the whole performance. The Stage setting and special effects intertwined in elegance and awe. It was very well organized and clearly was thought through for weeks, even months! The lighting was so effective, while adding flavor to Beyondg's performance and still managed to keep the focus on her!My favorite special effect though was when a guitarist (who rocked everyone's socks off by the way) came out of nowhere and had sparks coming out of it, while Beyond was right beside it wowing off the vast variety of pitches she can belt out. Was captivated. Her outfit was very bold and out of this universe. She wore a cropped black leather motorcycle jacket and a leather bodysuit made with strips of python and iguana, with some lace. It was like a woman's modern warrior outfit.It's already fierce enough as it is, but to put Bye in it? The fierce-meter is about to explode! Honey Bee looked rather smashing and wore it as if to remind everyone in the audience that she is one sexy, sexy woman, because, we didn't know that already. Her song choices were very clever as they were all well-known which allowed the audience to sing/scream along. It included ‘Crazy in Love' ‘End of Time' and 3 songs which she sang with her ex-group members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.They literally came shooting up out of the underg round, and blew everyone away when they performed ‘Single Ladies'. Best surprise in Super-Bowl Half-Time Show history. The choreography was flawless and they showed that ‘Diva' is really a ‘female version of a hustler' if you know what I mean! Although Kelly and Michelle ere on stage with Beyond, Beyond was still everyone's focus. No one can ever steal her spotlight!Singing Halo as her last song was an epic conclusion. She managed to belt the notes effortlessly, proving herself once again, to be the Queen of RAN. The show was the sexiest Super Bowl Half Time show since 2004 when Janet Jackson had a ‘Wardrobe malfunction†. Yikes! From beginning to end, the singer didn't let motherhood get in the way of delivering an energetic performance that killed! And most importantly, she had now silenced her doubters.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Copyrights law of television industry in different countries (U.K and India) and its fair use in media business. The WritePass Journal

Copyrights law of television industry in different countries (U.K and India) and its fair use in media business. Abstract Copyrights law of television industry in different countries (U.K and India) and its fair use in media business. AbstractIntroductionRights and PowerCollectionsInfringement and Strategy Internet Television Rights REFERRENCES :Related Abstract This report explores most of the criteria of Copyrights and its vast area which protect creativity, invention and artists’ originality by laws and regulations about intellectual properties.   A large number of researches depict different kind of rules and their implementation for healthy business environment in media industry (Television) in different countries such as UK and India. Where appropriate information about Intellectual property and copyright gives full knowledge about report, as well as other side way of these properties’s fair use helps to understand media and its creative environment. Discussion and background research are influencing conclusion with their logical elements and issues. Key point such as definitions, area of law, types of intellectual property, differences between constitutions affect topic very well and discover a wide range of knowledge. Introduction Creativity is a major part of invention and every artist and inventor tries to save his/her invention. Every kind of intellectual property needs appropriate law for its protection by misuse and fair use. Wilson L. (2005, p.8) states that ‘‘Most people realize that copyright protects works of art like poems and short stories, photographs, paintings and drawings and musical compositions. It may be less obvious that copyright protects more mundane forms of expression, including such diverse materials as advertising copy, instruction manuals, broachers, logo designs, computer programmes, term papers, home movies, cartoon strips, and advertising jingles’’. In this quote writer clearly mentioned safety issues and area of creative work. In this report we will be discussing about this kind of intellectual properties which use in television industry. As well as according to this quote we understand that copyright is a unique way to protect creative works such as book s, music and different kind of art and commercial work. Non commercial work and commercial work has categorised in intellectual property law according to there use, In simple words we can say that copyright laws prevent artistic work from unauthorised use. This report informed about different kind of copyright laws in different countries, behalf of this some important questions such as how to prevent creativity? Fair use of creative works on Television Industry, Which parts of television area comes in intellectual properties? Television Industry always works on wide range of new inventions and creative ideas where intellectual property is a necessary part of this media industry. Although matter is about new T.V shows, concepts, technologies, music or advertisements every part of this industry reflect copyright and its law. Many inventors already had given brilliant creative, entertaining and profitable ideas to media industry which still works for other companies and television channel for their profit via fair use, so it is very important issue to protect this kind of art. A Television company have different facts such as it is a commercial industry, advertisement technique, democratic organisation or institution, a medium between government and organisation, cultural visualisation technique. It is bigger than a thinking of business. While its only a source of entertainment for viewers on the contrary it is a big system which belongs to monetary term Copyright and media have a unique connection which makes a wonderful business environment. Journalism, media, cable and broadcasting industry, advertisement agencies and their software’s, videos, music etc. every part of television have a interesting fact about laws and terms and condition. Fisherman A. (2004, p.2) said that ‘‘The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to protect works of authorship by enacting copyright laws. But it is up to Congress to actually write the copyright laws and decide on the details of what should be protected and for how long’’. According to this statement we can understand that copyright and intellectual law system generated in   U.S   via Congress and copyright issues also have some eligible time period, every kind of intellectual property which relates to television and its factor have a different time ratio according to its type and sources. Research Rights and Power Matsuura, Jeffrey H (2003, p.9) shows that ‘‘Copyright law provide ownership to the creators of the original works that are fixed in tangible form. It grants those creators several fundamentals right to use for the work they create. One of those right is the right to create copies of (duplicate) the work. Another of those rights is the right to distribute the work. Copyright law also grants the creator of an original work the right to perform or to exhibit the work publicity’’. Quote indicate that In television companies a producer or director have right of his copyright video to make copies for public display, video and soundtracks of video, distribution CD for profit by rent or sale as well as digital transmission etc. On the contrary Matasuura, Jefferey, H (2003. p.98) states that the video industry avoided many content right battles that confronted their print and music industry colleagues in the early days of the internet. In part, the delay in encounte ring those issues was caused by the relative scarcity of consumer access to broadband capacity adequate to support high-quality digital video content distribution. With time, however, that respite for the video content industry is ending and thus the relative good fortune of the digital video content industry is rapidly fading. The video industry now faces many of the same difficult rights management issues that the other media industries are already attempting to resolve. The same challenges as control over content in digital form that the print publishing and music industries have faced for several years are now confronting the television and motion picture industry’’ Collections One of the valuable limitations according to television copyright is the fair use techniques and valuation, every subject have to know about the fully terms and conditions about copyrighted product such as video or programme theme. There is only one copy can be copy and distributed but only when they don’t use it for profit and make the copy available to the general public. On the other side it is not possible to get another copy from copyright holder. Infringement and Strategy CREEBER (2008, p.49) illustrate that ‘‘The USA, one of the biggest producers of media distributed – often illegally – around the world, passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998 in an attempt to control unauthorized downloading of intellectual property. In 2001 the European Union (EU) crafted the EU Copyright Directive along similar lines. Many other nations also adopted such legislation, but in some areas of the world, most notably China, digital piracy continues with abandon.’’ the site explains more about the concept of which procedures would be ideal to apply to a particular piece of research. Participant observation, direct observations about copyright implementation period in different countries. Its clearly shows that copyright system implementation had a very important issue which protect creative work by media people and stop the unfair use of intellectual property. Althought some countries have not participated in this missi on but gradually after a period country realised that they need a particular law for this problem. According to a internet news on Indian television website writer said that ’’The Anti-Piracy Coordination Cell, constituted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the support of the HRD Ministry and the industry, will coordinate the efforts at combating the menace of piracy across sectors. Such a cross-sectoral initiative will lead to a synergized approach to a common and increasingly menacing problem’’ the statement informed that Indian government also participating gradually to remove piracy and unfair means in indian media. Any one who try to get profit by unfair means will be taken seriously by Indian judiciary. Although every country implement laws and regulation to remove piracy from intellectual property but one question is still remaining that ‘‘ How others can fair use of creativity of genuine work and which kind of duration and laws they have to follow ?’’ Anything which use for social, cultural or political benefit and affect harm to copyright owner it comes to infringement. Specially when its not permitted. To avoid claims of piracy while we try to consider anyone else work we always beware that protect our self to become a piracy victim. We should aware and use a checklist before fair use of anyone work. For example we must research about the work and its background, we should get knowledge about works creator and his/her demands and authority belongs to work, some time if we use any kind of video or soundtrack we have to pay royalty amount regarding use of genuine work where on the contrary author or director of work provide NOC without any monetary terms. Media and television have a very complicated and deep amount of lawful information. Different catogry of fair use have different options such as if we want to use a broadcasted video or footage for public or social or culture related task we have to confirm its limitations and co nditions for this statement Wilson L, (2005, p.71) believes that ‘‘ There is no definite boundaries between fair use and infringement, because no general rule defining infringement is possible – remember, the infringement evaluation must be made by weighing particular circumstances’’. It states that copyrights for intellectual properties specially in broadcasting system and cable tv is very strange. It is very necessary to get appropriate permission or license for fair use. Here the major point to understand is that difference between permission and license, use a particular stuff or work without monetary terms comes in permission and other side if we have to pay some amount for use works of someone else it comes in license section and similarity in both is that both depends on particular duration such as works area duration, time or date till then work can be use etc. One of the very good example is case study of international TV formats trading in the absence of IP protection where states that ‘‘The format is not necessarily reliant on legal protection. It certainly helps there is a degree of perceived legal protection but the industry at large is aware of how dubious that protection is’’ this statement basically describe about piracy and legal dimensions where a particular new invented TV show copied by different copycat producers. In this article there is a brief example has given about famous TV Show Pop Idols or American Idols which produced in different countries by various method such as Indian idol in India etc. Producer said that it is theft to make the same programme with few changes where concept and theme are quite same. Internet Television Rights New age and digitalization is making new innovative ideas of entertain audience where television become the part of life everyone’s other side some digital companies was ready to adopt a new television technology ‘‘internet streaming television’’ which provide all visuals of live streaming and recorded programmes on internet. Although was really creative innovations but intellectual property law and their law also quite different for this kind of technologies. Kretschemer M (2007, p.101) illustrate that Broadcasters, cable TV operators, content programmers, and television set manufacturers all agree that even if the digital transmission and interoperability issues are settled, the quandary over internet piracy and the possible distribution of high-definition content on the internet still needs to be resolved. Every procedure has a different evaluation according to its process if genuine director or producer allow his /her work to copy on internet by o ther websites then might be it’s a extrea profitable for them because in this case they can get royallity or other kind of amount such as license fees for there work, but if they have any contract or sponsorship with any company or label then contract paper decide the laws value for original creator. REFERRENCES : Wilson L (2005).  fair use and use by permission. 1st ed.10 east 23rd street New York: Allworth Press.8 Wilson L (2005).  Fair use free use and use by permission. 10 east 23rd street New York: Allworth Press. 71. Attorney Stephen Fishman (2004).  The Public Domain. 2nd ed. CA Nolo,: Berkeley. 2. Matsuura, Jeffrey H (2003).  Managing intellectual assets in the digital age  . Boston: Artech House. 9. Matsuura, Jeffrey H (2003).  Managing Intellectual Assets in the Digital Age  . Boston, MA : Artech House. 98. CREEBER (2008).  DigitalCulture: Understanding New Media. ENGLAND: Open University Press. 49. n/a. (2010).  Govt aims to align Indian Copyright Laws with global standards.  Available: indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k10/oct/oct118.php. Last accessed 14th march 2011. Kretschemer M Singh S. (2010). Exploting Idols.  A Case study of international TV format trading in the absence of IP Protection. 1 (1), 15. Castaà ±ed M. (2007). Television New Media.  The Complicated Transition to Broadcast Digital Television in the United states. 8 (1),

Monday, November 4, 2019

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example Many enterprises jumped in on this opportunity and took on local manufacturing of e-bikes, importation and selling of e-bikes and other related industries. The challenge for these businesses is how they will stay afloat as the number of competition rises. In venturing into a business, one must first do a strategic planning and come up with a feasibility study or business plan so as to guide the direction of the business and so that the proprietor can easily remove or dodge certain barricades that may impede in the establishment and growth of the business. One major component of the business plan is to get to know your target market and that can only be accomplished through the analysis of consumer behaviour (Gundlach, 2007). For a business to grow and rise above its competition it needs to occupy a unique niche in the hierarchy of consumer needs that only they can provide – may it be the quality, quantity, or kind of service, quality, quantity, or kind of products or both. ... In the rest of this paper, we will be evaluating the two typologies so as to ascertain which among the two models is better to use in creating a market research tool for e-bike consumer behaviour. I. The Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyle Systems Typology (VALS) With today’s ever increasing product standardization, it gets harder and harder for companies to create unique products that are essentially different from the competition’s products. In this case, the difference only lies on how the company markets their products and the psychological differences the consumer associates with their product compared to the rest. (Evans, Jamal, and Foxall, 2009) The VALS typology is a psychographic means of segmenting the whole consumer populace in to different classes based on AIOD – Activities, Interests, Opinions and Demographics, the factors that for this model shapes how the consumers choose to spend. Being a psychographic consumer segmentation system, it classifies the consumers into 8 basic lifestyle groups on the basis of resources and self-orientation which is the determinants of how the consumer may be able to see the product when it is marketed (Businessdictionary.com, 2013). The resources that are taken into consideration in creating the different lifestyle classes include but are not limited to education, income, intelligence, health, energy level and eagerness to purchase resources that in general, increase from youth to middle age then decrease afterwards (Values and Lifestyles, 2013). On the other hand, the components for determining self-orientation are divided into 3 parts: (1) Principle Oriented: keeping a permanent value system, (2) Status Oriented: influenced by other’s perception of one’s self, and (3) Action Oriented: the propensity to

Saturday, November 2, 2019

International Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Service Marketing - Essay Example The above flowchart shows a service profit chain that is encountered by each and every firm in the contemporary world. So, it can be claimed that higher profit generation can be experienced by firms only with the essence of superior quality of service. This is the era of consumerism and level of utility derived by the consumers from services of a company determines their loyalty towards the same in the long run. This essay tries to implicitly analyze the service quality of British Airways (BA). It is believed by scholars that a company’s service quality invariably undergoes four progressive transitional stages across its life cycle. These stages are Service Losers, Service Nonentities, Service Professionals and Service Leaders. The context of essay will estimate the most appropriate service quality stage, where the selected service of BA lies. In latter half of the essay, the selected service quality of BA will be precisely compared with that of other competitors in the market . Finally, recommendations will be also provided, whereby the company would be able to rectify certain existing limitations of the concerned service (Shaughnessy, 2013). The company of BA claims to have substantially improved the quality of its food and wine service. The company states that customers can experience better quality of food and drink on its flights in comparison to many popular food junctions on the ground. The food offerings are claimed to be prepared freshly on the flights itself. The on-board catering service of the company is distinguished in terms of the flight seat classes. The major dinning types offered by the company are economy dining, premium economy dining, business dining, first dining and special meals (British Airways, 2014). Under the menu of economy dinning, BA offers complementary snack or meal services to all flight boarders. Bar services are also provided by the company to all customers. The bar service of the airline serves assorted drinks to the